A university professor in Sweden is under investigation for "anti-feminism" and "transphobia" after he said that there are fundamental differences between men and women which are "biologically founded" and that genders cannot be regarded as "social constructs alone," reports Academic Rights Watch.

For his transgression, Germund Hesslow - a professor of neuroscience at Lund University - who holds dual PhDs in philosophy and neurophysiology, may lose his job - telling RT that a "full investigation" has been ordered, and that there "have been discussions about trying to stop the lecture or get rid of me, or have someone else give the lecture or not give the lecture at all."

“If you answer such a question you are under severe time pressure, you have to be extremely brief — and I used wording which I think was completely innocuous, and that apparently the student didn't,” Hesslow said.

Hesslow was ordered to attend a meeting by Christer Larsson, chairman of the program board for medical education, after a female student complained that Hesslow had a "personal anti-feminist agenda." He was asked to distance himself from two specific comments; that gay women have a "male sexual orientation" and that the sexual orientation of transsexuals is "a matter of definition."

The student's complaint reads in part (translated):

I have also heard from senior lecturers that Germund Hesslow at the last lecture expressed himself transfobically. In response to a question of transexuallism, he said something like "sex change is a fly". Secondly, it is outrageous because there may be students during the lecture who are themselves exposed to transfobin, but also because it may affect how later students in their professional lives meet transgender people. Transpersonals already have a high level of overrepresentation in suicide statistics and there are already major shortcomings in the treatment of transgender in care, should not it be countered? How does this kind of statement coincide with the university's equal treatment plan? What has this statement given for consequences? What has been done for this to not be repeated? -Academic Rights Watch

After being admonished, Hesslow refused to distance himself from his comments, saying that he had "done enough" already and didn't have to explain and defend his choice of words.

"At some point, one must ask for a sense of proportion among those involved. If it were to become acceptable for students to record lectures in order to find compromising formulations and then involve faculty staff with meetings and long letters, we should let go of the medical education altogether," Hesslow said in a written reply to Larsson.

He also rejected the accusation that he had a political agenda - stating that his only agenda was to let scientific fact, not new social conventions, dictate how he teaches his courses.